SYDNEY: There was one moment in the game when the Netherlands discovered that the difference in class between the two sides couldn’t be bridged merely by bowling good lines. Their varied attack had somehow kept a tight leash on India’s top order on a slowish pitch where the ball sometimes tended to stop. The surface was also worn down a bit by the South Africa-Bangladesh contest earlier in the day.
Predictions of India’s masterly domination over an Associate team seemed fanciful when at the end of three overs, only nine runs had been scored and KL Rahul had fallen to a dubious LBW decision which was not reviewed. With Rohit Sharma looking to hit his way out of trouble and Kohli calmly biding his time, at the end of 10 overs India were merely 67/1, a middling start at best, even by the lethargic SCG’s standards.
